Dawda Jawara

Dawda Jawara (16 May 1924-) was Prime Minister of The Gambia from 12 June 1962 to 24 April 1970 (succeeding Pierre Sarr N'Jie) and President from 24 April 1970 to 22 July 1994 (preceding Yahya Jammeh).

Biography
Dawda Jawara was born in Barajally, The Gambia in 1924, and he qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow University. He returned to Gambia in 1954 and, as a member of Gambia's small educated elite, co-founded the People's Progressive Party of Gambia in 1959. He won the 1962 elections and became Prime Minister. He led the country to independence in 1965, and established a republic in 1970. He remained popular, though he failed to diversify the country's economy, which remained heavily reliant on its export of peanuts. Partly as protection against further military coups (those of 1980 and 1981 were quelled with the help of Senegal), he advocated union with Senegal, which came about in 1982. However, the differences between the two countries proved too great, and the union was dissolved in 1989. He was deposed in a military coup in 1994, and went into exile in Senegal.